The subject matter disclosed herein relates to passive control of ice shedding from a helicopter.
For certain types of helicopters, ice can form on a leading edge of an engine air inlet and can shed during flight. If the pieces of shed ice are large enough, there is a possibility of damage to other helicopter components such as antennas and the tail rotor. Ice may also form on the inner walls of the air inlet duct, whereby shedding may cause flow blockages if, again, the pieces of shed ice are large enough.
Active ice protection involves the use of heat or a similar energy source to cause melting or fracturing of accreted ice so that the shed ice does not become large enough to damage antennas or the tail rotor or block the inlet duct. Unfortunately, active ice protection also complicates a helicopter design. That is, active controls add to the power requirements, add significant weight and impact reliability and maintainability metrics.